A Mother who was hiding her ‘ugly’ leg under trousers for two decades now has the confidence to wear dresses, after making the difficult decision to amputate the limb.
For many years 32-year-old Kristy Wimberly was embarrassed by her right leg which had stopped growing at the same pace as her other when she was diagnosed with a rare spinal cord tumor, astrocytoma, at age 6.
The nerves that connect her spinal cord to her leg were damaged during surgeries to remove the tumor and further compromised during a surgery to insert titanium rods in her back to treat scoliosis.
The damage to Kristy’s nerves meant that the growth of her right leg was stunted, leaving it a full two inches shorter than the other and unable to walk without a brace.
Image credit: SWNS
The executive assistant, who went through 19 surgeries to try and lengthen her leg, was called a ‘cripple’ by high school classmates and became obsessed with concealing her disability, never wearing shorts or dresses even in the depths of summer.
The mom-of-one, from St Louis in Missouri, was confined to a wheelchair and crutches for months after each surgery and wasKristy said:
For the first time in my life I am wearing shorts and short dresses. When I do wear pants I cut off one of the legs to show off my prosthesis.
I’m so proud of it, and thankful for the new life it’s given me.
Image Credit: SWNS
Kristy said that her family, husband, mechanic Don Wimberly, and daughter Eva Erwin, four, have seen a massive shift in her confidence since she was fitted with a bionic knee, which is controlled by the weight and movement of her upper leg.
She added:
Looking back at those photos of my ‘ugly’ leg… I have absolutely no regrets. I couldn’t keep doing what I was doing, living my life hiding.
In fact, I wish I had done it years ago, especially when I think about all that time I wasted worrying about that leg.
Kristy plans to take part in November’s Project Athena, an event where she will cycle and kayak 120 miles along the Florida coastline.
The fitness fanatic concluded:
It’s daunting because it’s something I would never have been able to do before, but I’m determined. I want to make up for those years I missed out on now that I can.She concluded: ‘I definitely won’t be wearing pants, that’s for sure.’
Best of luck, Kristy!